SOPA may cost Obama in Hollywood

President Barack Obama regularly graces glitzy Hollywood fundraisers, studio execs have given big to his campaign, and big-name musicians and movie stars have stumped for him.

But when it came time for Obama to have Hollywood’s back, his administration slighted the longtime Democratic force in favor of a powerful new ally — the tech industry.

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On Saturday, the White House put out a statement that read like it was trying to split the difference on two anti-piracy bills pushed by Hollywood. But by making clear that it wasn’t enamored with the bills, the White House helped slow down momentum, sparking grumbling among entertainment industry insiders.

That Hollywood can be taken for granted on one of its top priorities reveals a seismic shift in Democratic politics that could have a lasting impact in party fundraising in 2012 and beyond.

Leo Hindery, a major Democratic donor whose New York media private equity firm owns cable channels, said Obama might have reason to worry about his entertainment industry fundraising base.

“[The bill] is an issue that has no business being decided politically – by anybody on one side or the other – and the fact that it might be becoming a political issue is unfair to the content producers,” said Hindery, who’s contributed more than $3 million to Democratic candidates and groups.

Even Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America — the trade group that represents the nation’s big music labels said “it could.”

Obama counts Hollywood insiders like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Andy Spahn and Ari Emanuel among his top bundlers for campaign cash. Katzenberg, a Hollywood mogul and DreamWorks Animation CEO, has raised at least $500,000 for Obama and is a top spender on outside Democratic groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Spahn — an entertainment consultant who was appointed in 2008 to the President’s Commission on Arts and Humanities — has also raised at least $500,000 for Obama this cycle.

The television, movies and music industries donated more than $9 million on Obama last election, according to Center for Responsive Politics, and more than 70 percent of the industries’ donations to federal candidates from employees and political action committees have gone to support Democrats in recent years.